Thursday, January 31, 2008
Is hiring women all that much more profitable than men ?
Company experts feel that it is so. In fact, with many successful businesses, the female-male employee ratio is as now as much 30-70, with numbers only increasing. Behavioural researches concluded that the fair sex was better in socializing and interacting effectively with people. Women were found to have more commitment in their careers, and were focused on developing and maintaining a long-term career. With this find coupled together with the 2008 expectation of attrition rates increasing dramatically, it is no wonder that companies are now hiring more female employees.One company commented that women were more 'transparent' and trustworthy and as a result established confidence in clients. Is hiring women all that much more profitable than men? Growth-oriented company experts say it is a fact that just cannot be ignored.IT companies have begun to cash in on the largely untapped female-employee benefits. They are now hiring and training many new female employees. Experts add that although there are many benefits to hiring women, no 'one size fits all'.As for corporate trends and changes, gone are the days when being a woman attempting a career was yet another hurdle to cross.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Emotional Intelligence and Life Success
Which do you think is a more accurate predictor of life success: A person's emotional intelligence or a person's IQ? If you're like most of us, you'd probably guess that IQ—a person's mental intelligence—is more important. However, you'd be surprised to learn that a person's emotional intelligence is actually more closely tied to life success. Why? While IQ determines a person's memory, reasoning ability, and fluency with language and math, emotional intelligence is linked with a person's moods, attitudes, empathy, and motivation. And these are powerful forces that can result in an individual's success in business or social settings.
The elements of IQ - IQ measures a person's intellectual ability and generally remains steady throughout a person's life. Interestingly, it contributes to only about 20 percent of the factors that determine a person's life success. Traits exhibited by a person with a high IQ include a wide intellectual capacity and range of interests, confidence and fluency in expressing thoughts and opinions, a tendency to be anxious and to worry, and a critical nature. IQ is linked with the following mental abilities:
> Verbal comprehension, which is the ability to understand and define words
> Word fluency, which is the ability to think of words rapidly
> Number facility, or the ability to do mathematical problems
> Spatial ability, the ability to visualize objects and draw them from memory
> Memory, which is the ability to memorize and recall information
> Perception, the ability to notice details and detect similarities and differences
> Reasoning, the ability to follow general rules.
The elements of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is comprised of a broad range of abilities, including awareness of one's own emotions, the ability to regulate moods, the recognition of emotions in others, the ability to motivate oneself in the face of frustration, the ability to control impulses and delay gratification, and the ability to empathize. Emotional intelligence contributes to about 80 percent of the factors that predict life success. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are poised, outgoing, and cheerful. They have empathy for others, express their feelings directly but appropriately, and have a capacity for developing relationships. Therefore, emotional intelligence is a more accurate predictor of life success than IQ is. Fortunately, emotional intelligence is a skill that can be developed more readily than pure intellectual abilities. To be more successful in your job and in your personal life, strive to be aware of your emotional intelligence and to improve the emotional aspects of your life.
The elements of IQ - IQ measures a person's intellectual ability and generally remains steady throughout a person's life. Interestingly, it contributes to only about 20 percent of the factors that determine a person's life success. Traits exhibited by a person with a high IQ include a wide intellectual capacity and range of interests, confidence and fluency in expressing thoughts and opinions, a tendency to be anxious and to worry, and a critical nature. IQ is linked with the following mental abilities:
> Verbal comprehension, which is the ability to understand and define words
> Word fluency, which is the ability to think of words rapidly
> Number facility, or the ability to do mathematical problems
> Spatial ability, the ability to visualize objects and draw them from memory
> Memory, which is the ability to memorize and recall information
> Perception, the ability to notice details and detect similarities and differences
> Reasoning, the ability to follow general rules.
The elements of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is comprised of a broad range of abilities, including awareness of one's own emotions, the ability to regulate moods, the recognition of emotions in others, the ability to motivate oneself in the face of frustration, the ability to control impulses and delay gratification, and the ability to empathize. Emotional intelligence contributes to about 80 percent of the factors that predict life success. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are poised, outgoing, and cheerful. They have empathy for others, express their feelings directly but appropriately, and have a capacity for developing relationships. Therefore, emotional intelligence is a more accurate predictor of life success than IQ is. Fortunately, emotional intelligence is a skill that can be developed more readily than pure intellectual abilities. To be more successful in your job and in your personal life, strive to be aware of your emotional intelligence and to improve the emotional aspects of your life.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Working with Managers to Improve Retention
Companies don't cause employees to leave—people in companies cause employees to leave. Employees often leave companies because of conflicts with people, usually people in authority.
Employees are more likely to stay with a company when they enjoy their co-workers, feel respected, and know they're valued by their managers—in other words, when they feel connected to the people in their company.
Managers can improve retention by applying strategies for developing strong connections with employees. As a human resources professional, you can work with your managers to help improve employee retention. Specifically, you can help managers build and maintain employee connections in the following ways.
1. Encourage managers to ask employees for honest feedback.
The first way managers can build and maintain employee connections is to ask employees for honest feedback about work situations. Managers need to find out if their employees are happy with the company and with their jobs. They should take the time to ask pointed questions and listen to the answers. This may require some prodding on the part of the manager. Employees aren't likely to be forthcoming with criticism or negative feedback at first. Managers should be patient but persistent. Eventually, employees will feel comfortable confiding in their manager if their manager works to build relationships with them.
2. Encourage managers to be straightforward and honest with employees.
Another strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to be straightforward and honest with employees when communicating company information. Managers should keep staff members informed about what's going on in the company and should tell employees good and bad news in a sincere and straightforward way. Otherwise, employees may hear rumors and jump to their own conclusions.
Have you ever had a manager who didn't keep you informed about company business decisions? Did you find out about decisions that affected you from your co-workers, or worse, from an outside source? How did that make you feel about your manager? Managers can build trust with employees by keeping them informed. Employees are loyal to their managers when they feel connected to their managers. Managers earn respect when they communicate information in an open and honest way.
3. Encourage managers to align work assignments with employee interests and skills.
The third strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to align work assignments with employee interests and skills. When managers get to know their employees' interests, strengths, and weaknesses, they are better able to assign work in such a way that employees will be engaged and successful. In addition, they should try to give employees options that coincide with the company's demands and the employees' interests.
Managers can help retain valuable employees by developing strong connections with their employees. Are managers in your company trained well to do that? If not, work with them to help them apply the strategies for developing strong connections with employees, which in turn can help your company's retention efforts.
Employees are more likely to stay with a company when they enjoy their co-workers, feel respected, and know they're valued by their managers—in other words, when they feel connected to the people in their company.
Managers can improve retention by applying strategies for developing strong connections with employees. As a human resources professional, you can work with your managers to help improve employee retention. Specifically, you can help managers build and maintain employee connections in the following ways.
1. Encourage managers to ask employees for honest feedback.
The first way managers can build and maintain employee connections is to ask employees for honest feedback about work situations. Managers need to find out if their employees are happy with the company and with their jobs. They should take the time to ask pointed questions and listen to the answers. This may require some prodding on the part of the manager. Employees aren't likely to be forthcoming with criticism or negative feedback at first. Managers should be patient but persistent. Eventually, employees will feel comfortable confiding in their manager if their manager works to build relationships with them.
2. Encourage managers to be straightforward and honest with employees.
Another strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to be straightforward and honest with employees when communicating company information. Managers should keep staff members informed about what's going on in the company and should tell employees good and bad news in a sincere and straightforward way. Otherwise, employees may hear rumors and jump to their own conclusions.
Have you ever had a manager who didn't keep you informed about company business decisions? Did you find out about decisions that affected you from your co-workers, or worse, from an outside source? How did that make you feel about your manager? Managers can build trust with employees by keeping them informed. Employees are loyal to their managers when they feel connected to their managers. Managers earn respect when they communicate information in an open and honest way.
3. Encourage managers to align work assignments with employee interests and skills.
The third strategy managers can use to build and maintain employee connections is to align work assignments with employee interests and skills. When managers get to know their employees' interests, strengths, and weaknesses, they are better able to assign work in such a way that employees will be engaged and successful. In addition, they should try to give employees options that coincide with the company's demands and the employees' interests.
Managers can help retain valuable employees by developing strong connections with their employees. Are managers in your company trained well to do that? If not, work with them to help them apply the strategies for developing strong connections with employees, which in turn can help your company's retention efforts.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The Two Causes of Attrition
Did you know that experts estimate the cost of turnover to be three times an employee's salary? This simple statistic alone explains why it's so important to develop strategies to retain good employees. And the first strategy is to find out why people leave your company and to keep track of the reasons people leave.
Attrition is an expected yet dreaded cost of business. However, if you understand why employees leave, you can accept unavoidable turnover and prevent avoidable turnover. Essentially, there are two causes of attrition, which can be grouped into two broad categories—functional attrition and preventable attrition.
1. Functional attrition
Functional attrition is unavoidable, inevitable turnover. Examples include employees who retire, employees who leave for a spouse's job transfer, and employees who leave because of health problems or to care for sick relatives. In other words, functional attrition is caused by circumstances that can't be controlled. You must expect and accept this type of turnover.
2. Preventable attrition
Preventable turnover, on the other hand, can usually be controlled and avoided but often isn't. Poor hiring practices, misguided policies, and inflexible corporate attitudes are some of the preventable reasons people leave companies. Some examples of preventable attrition are listed below.
a) Lack of job satisfaction - Anna is resigning. She wants to advance her career, but her position is a dead end. She's a great employee and likes her company, but her goals don't match with her position's potential. You could have avoided her resignation by moving her into a position with growth potential.
b) Stressful work environment - Stan works long hours with few rewards. He's expected to work 60 hours a week to meet his deadlines. Stan feels undervalued and overworked. He's looking for another job. You could prevent this by setting deadlines that are achievable in a 40-hour workweek.
c) Outside influences - Dawn was approached by a recruiter who said he could find her a job paying twice what your company is paying her and with far better benefits. She'll take him up on his offer. You could prevent this by paying employees what they're worth and having a comprehensive benefit plan.
d) Conflict with a manager - Bruce and his manager just don't get along. Bruce is a valued employee and so is his manager. Bruce wants to resign. You could prevent this by assigning Bruce to another department or working with the manager and Bruce on conflict resolution.
Preventable turnover occurs when your company can change a policy or find a solution to keep employees from leaving but doesn't. People leave companies for a variety of reasons. Below are some examples of employees who have chosen to leave their companies.
Functional - Shirley retired after 15 years as her company's receptionist. This is an example of unavoidable, or functional, turnover. Eventually, employees will retire, and you can't do much about it.
Preventable - Andrew resigned because he considered his work environment to be unsupportive. This is an example of avoidable, or preventable, turnover. If Andrew is a valuable employee who is leaving because he doesn't feel supported, then his company needs to look at ways to fix this problem.
Functional - Ronald left his company to move to the city his wife was transferred to. This is an example of unavoidable turnover. Unless Ronald can transfer to another office in the new city or telecommute, his company can't do much to retain him.
Preventable - Donna left her company because she isn't satisfied with her advancement opportunities. This is an example of avoidable turnover. If Donna, a valuable employee, is leaving because she has no career opportunities, her company should review its career development and advancement strategies. Remember, the first step to managing turnover is to understand why valuable employees leave your company. Once you understand the causes of attrition, you can accept cases of functional attrition and recognize the need to look within your organization for ways to avoid preventable attrition.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Factors that Contribute to Emotional Competence
Researchers have determined that there are four factors that contribute to emotional competence. These four factors are impulse control, mood manipulation, hope, and optimism. Individuals who demonstrate an ability to control their impulses and moods and who possess hope and optimism as part of their overall emotional makeup, generally are more emotionally stable, and are better able to achieve success in both their professional and their social lives. Details about these four factors are described below.
1. Impulse control
Impulse control is often considered the core of emotional self-management. Our ability to control our impulses and delay gratification says a lot about the way we respond to various situations. Researchers have determined that individuals who can control their impulses are more self-assertive and are more competent in handling frustration, stress, and pressure. In addition, these individuals are better able to face challenges and are more likely to be relentless in their pursuit of valued goals. Research also indicates that these individuals are more trustworthy, dependable, and self-reliant.
2. Mood manipulation
The second characteristic that contributes to emotional competence is mood manipulation. Even small mood changes can affect a person's ability to think clearly. Good moods actually enhance an individual's ability to think and problem-solve. Laughing frees up creativity and promotes a person's ability to see complex relationships and consequences. Joking can actually help a person think through a problem. Studies show that problems are more likely to be solved by someone who has just had a good laugh and is in a good mood. Alternatively, if you're in a bad mood and try to make decisions, you may be overly cautious and make decisions based on anger or fear.
3. Hope
Recent research shows that hope is a crucial element in a vast array of activities. In everything from taking tests to handling a difficult boss, hope is more than just a vague belief. Researchers have discovered that hope gives people confidence in themselves, so that they are better able to achieve their goals. In terms of emotional competence, hope plays a role in preventing a person from giving into defeat, depression, setbacks, or anxiety. People with hope have less emotional stress.
4. Optimism
Optimism is an extension of hope in that it protects people from apathy and depression. Optimistic people see failure as an event they can overcome, and optimism prevents people from blaming their failures on personal traits they cannot change. If you're a salesperson, optimism is an especially important trait, since a study has shown that salespeople who are naturally optimistic sold 37 percent more than individuals who where pessimistic.
Clearly, there is a link between success and a person's ability to control impulses, manipulate moods, and exhibit hope and optimism. A person who exhibits these traits usually is an emotionally competent person. You may want to assess your own competencies in these four areas. At the very least, you may learn a lot about yourself and your ability to handle difficult situations. At best, you may be able to improve your own emotional competence and your chances for success in both your professional and your social life.
1. Impulse control
Impulse control is often considered the core of emotional self-management. Our ability to control our impulses and delay gratification says a lot about the way we respond to various situations. Researchers have determined that individuals who can control their impulses are more self-assertive and are more competent in handling frustration, stress, and pressure. In addition, these individuals are better able to face challenges and are more likely to be relentless in their pursuit of valued goals. Research also indicates that these individuals are more trustworthy, dependable, and self-reliant.
2. Mood manipulation
The second characteristic that contributes to emotional competence is mood manipulation. Even small mood changes can affect a person's ability to think clearly. Good moods actually enhance an individual's ability to think and problem-solve. Laughing frees up creativity and promotes a person's ability to see complex relationships and consequences. Joking can actually help a person think through a problem. Studies show that problems are more likely to be solved by someone who has just had a good laugh and is in a good mood. Alternatively, if you're in a bad mood and try to make decisions, you may be overly cautious and make decisions based on anger or fear.
3. Hope
Recent research shows that hope is a crucial element in a vast array of activities. In everything from taking tests to handling a difficult boss, hope is more than just a vague belief. Researchers have discovered that hope gives people confidence in themselves, so that they are better able to achieve their goals. In terms of emotional competence, hope plays a role in preventing a person from giving into defeat, depression, setbacks, or anxiety. People with hope have less emotional stress.
4. Optimism
Optimism is an extension of hope in that it protects people from apathy and depression. Optimistic people see failure as an event they can overcome, and optimism prevents people from blaming their failures on personal traits they cannot change. If you're a salesperson, optimism is an especially important trait, since a study has shown that salespeople who are naturally optimistic sold 37 percent more than individuals who where pessimistic.
Clearly, there is a link between success and a person's ability to control impulses, manipulate moods, and exhibit hope and optimism. A person who exhibits these traits usually is an emotionally competent person. You may want to assess your own competencies in these four areas. At the very least, you may learn a lot about yourself and your ability to handle difficult situations. At best, you may be able to improve your own emotional competence and your chances for success in both your professional and your social life.
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